Cellulose-Based Liquid Crystalline Composite Systems

Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth. It can be used in different applications, namely in the form of fibers, and cellulose can be converted into numerous cellulose derivatives. Cellulose micro- and nanofibers have been the subject of intense research in the field of composites. Cellulose derivatives can show liquid crystalline chiral nematic phases, which can be used for the production of diverse composite systems. All-cellulosic composites based on liquid crystalline cellulosic matrices reinforced by cellulose micro- and nanofibers can show enhanced mechanical properties due to fiber orientation induced by the liquid crystalline matrix. Cellulose-based fibers electrospun from liquid crystalline phases can develop different structures, which are able to mimic the shape of plant tendrils on the nano- and microscale, opening new horizons for ceDulosic membrane applications. [Pg.215]

The two systems mentioned above, concerning the production of cellulose composites from liquid crystalline phases, will be surveyed in this chapter. [Pg.215]

Keywords Liquid crystalhne phases, cellulose-based polymer, nanocrystalline cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, composites, films, electrospun fibers [Pg.215]

Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer and one of the most important renewable resources. Cellulose is the structural component of plant cell walls, and represents one of the most important natural forms. Mankind has been using cellulose as a renewable raw material for millennia as a source of wood and fibers to apply in a wide range of areas, from the production of tools to the manufacture of textiles. It was only in 1838 that Anselm Payen [1] determined the empirical formula of cellulose by isolating a white powder from plant tissue previously treated with acid, or ammonia, followed by treatment with water, alcohol or ether [2, 3], In 1839 he coined the term cellulose for [Pg.215]

Vijay Kumar Thakur, Nanocellulose Polymer Nanocomposites, (215-236) 2015 Scrivener Publishing LLC [Pg.215]

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